Kristaps Porzingis Still Not Sprinting 9 Months After Surgery on Knee Injury

New York Knicks star Kristaps Porzingis hasn’t progressed much in his rehab since training camp.

“He’s still kind of there,” head coach David Fizdale said Thursday, per Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News. “Not huge jumps.”

The forward is nine months removed from surgery to repair a torn ACL, but his rehab is coming along slowly. Fizdale said Porzingis is still not even sprinting on the court and his rehab is limited to just shooting and lightly jogging.

On the other hand, the forward showed that he can sprint in a Instagram post that has since been deleted:

While his level of recovery might be in dispute, the coaching staff isn’t preparing for a return any time soon.

“I’m looking at these guys right now. I’m not even planning on KP at all,” Fizdale said. “I can see instantly how he fits, but I’m just trying to keep my mind focused on them.”

There hasn’t been a true timetable for a return, but Marc Berman of the New York Post reported in July that there was a chance he could return by Christmas. It looked more bleak in September when team president Steve Mills didn’t rule out the possibility he could miss the whole season, per Ian Begley of ESPN.

With the 23-year-old still reportedly behind in his rehab, fans shouldn’t be holding out for an early return.

When healthy, Porzingis is one of the best young players in the NBA. He averaged 22.7 points and 6.6 rebounds per game last year, earning his first All-Star selection in the process, before his February knee injury ended his season.

The Knicks could use his contributions after a 4-8 start, although it makes sense not to rush him back for what could be another lost season.